TX SB2857

Health and Human Services Commission must establish a prescription drug purchasing pool allowing health benefit plan issuers, public employers (counties, municipalities, school districts, universities), and self-insured private employers to purchase prescription drugs at discounted rates for employees, dependents, and retirees

The purchasing pool is not a risk pool; each participant remains individually responsible for paying their own prescription drug claims according to their existing health benefit coverage agreements

Executive commissioner must establish administrative rules covering eligibility criteria, enrollment procedures, duration of eligibility, contribution methods, and disenrollment processes for participants

Participants may optionally purchase stop loss coverage through the pool at commission-negotiated rates, and two or more participants may jointly purchase prescription drugs without being classified as a multiple employer welfare arrangement

Implementation is contingent on legislative appropriation of funds specifically for this purpose, with an effective date of September 1, 2025